Pneumatic carrier

ABSTRACT

A fluid-tight carrier ( 10 ) is disclosed which has main latches ( 34  and  36 ). Each main latch has a safety latch ( 70 ) which secures the main latches within the latched position until an operator deflects the safety latch ( 70 ) away from the slidable catch ( 42 ) to permit the main latch to be moved to the unlatched position. This prevents inadvertent opening of the carrier due to impact on the carrier. The carrier can be formed of anti-microbial material, have removable wear strips and includes an ergonomic design.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/821,488filed Apr. 9, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,391.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to pneumatically transported carriers, andparticularly to fluid type carriers for carrying medical samples andother hazardous materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The transportation of items through pneumatic tubes is well known.Recently, a need has arisen to transport medical samples and otherhazardous material within such carriers. For safety purposes, it hasbeen desirable to seal the interior of the carrier from the outside inthe event that a sample spills or leaks within the carrier. Examples ofsuch designs are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,947 to Valerino Sr.et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,677 to Fratello et al.

Typically, such designs use some type of a seal which is compressed whenthe carrier is closed to provide isolation. Normally, a latch of sometype is used to hold the carrier in the closed position. However, alatch can be caught by sharp corners in a pneumatic tube, or sprung bysudden impacts or violent motion within the tube. If the latch opens,the seal of the carrier is jeopardized. A need exists for a design whichpreserves the integrity of the seal during the rough handling that suchcarriers often experience. Other critical applications for latches alsoexist, such as on luggage transported by airplane, etc, where theluggage is subject to severe handling, and the unintentional opening ofa latch can lead to loss of the contents, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a carrier isprovided which has a first half and a second half hinged together topermit the first and second halves to move between an open position anda closed position. At least one main latch is movable between a latchedposition and an unlatched position to hold the first and second halvesin the closed position when the latch is in the latched position. Themain latch includes a stationary portion secured to the first half, withthe stationary portion defining a guide. A movable portion is mounted tothe stationary portion for sliding motion between a first limit and asecond limit. A cam is mounted on the second half. The movable portionengages the cam to move the first and second halves into the closedposition as the movable portion is moved toward the first limit. Aresilient safety latch is mounted on the stationary portion to engagethe movable portion when the first and second halves are in the closedposition to secure the latch in the latched position. The safety latchalso has a knob forming a finger contact portion to allow the safetylatch to be moved away from the movable portion to release the mainlatch.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the movableportion has an aperture to receive a portion of the safety latch whenthe main latch is in the latched position. The safety latch can bemolded integrally with the stationary portion. The cam can be integrallymolded in the second half. Two main latches can be provided, with a camintegrally molded in each half so that the first and second halves canbe identical.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the carriercan include a wear band, the wear band including a seal material and aflexible backing strip. The first and second halves include a channel toslidably receive the backing strip to secure the wear band on the firstand second halves.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the firstand second halves are formed of anti-microbial material.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the carrierincludes an ergonomic design.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following DetailedDescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier incorporating a firstembodiment of the present invention in the closed position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carrier incorporating a firstembodiment of the present invention in the open position;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the main latch on the carrier; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view illustrating the wear band.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the accompanying drawings, wherein like orcorresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, thereis illustrated a carrier 10 of the type used to carry items therein in apneumatic tube system. The carrier 10 can carry medical samples,letters, objects, and the like. The carrier 10 includes a first half 12and a second half 14. The first half has first hinge elements 16 whilethe second half has second hinge elements 18 which, along with a hingepin 20, form a hinge 22, as seen in FIG. 2, to allow the halves of thecarrier 10 to be moved between an open position, seen in FIG. 2, toinsert or remove the item to be carried, and the closed position, seenin FIG. 1, ready for transportation through a pneumatic tube.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the first half 12 has a continuous peripheralgroove 24 formed in edge surface 26 which receives an O-ring (notshown). The second half 14 has a continuous raised ridge 30 which, whenthe carrier 10 is in the closed position, as seen in FIG. 1, iscompressed against the O-ring to form a continuous seal to isolate theinterior 32 of the carrier from exterior the carrier. Alternatively,both halves can have a groove 24, with the O-ring sealing between thegrooves when the carrier 10 is in the closed position, allowing thefirst and second halves 12 and 14 to be identical. Thus, the carrier cansafely carry hazardous materials, such as medical and biological fluidsamples. Designs of this general type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,636,947 and 5,655,677, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

To hold the carrier 10 in the closed position, two main latches 34 and36 are employed. As best seen in FIG. 3, each main latch includes a base38 secured to one of the halves 14 and 16, preferably by screws threadedinto threaded inserts 48 molded into the halves 14 and 16. The base 38includes a portion forming slide 120 which extends the length of thebase 38, and a safety latch 70. The safety latch 70 is cantilevered fromthe remainder of the base 38 by forming the base 38 with opening 122surrounding three sides of the safety latch 70, leaving only one sideintegral with the remainder of the base 38. This allows the safety latch70 to be deflected relative the rest of the base 38 as will be describedhereinafter. The safety latch 70 includes a raised knob 124 at the freeend of the safety latch 70.

A slidable catch 42 is secured to the base 38 so that the catch 42 canslide the length of the base 38 along the slide 120. A cam 126 is moldedinto the halves 12 and 14 immediately opposite the position of base 38on the mating half. When the halves 12 and 14 are in the closedposition, catch 42 can be slid along slide 120 from the open position130 at the outer end of the slide to engage the cam 126 on the matinghalf. As the catch 42 continues to be slid along slide 120, the catch 42will travel along the curved surface 128 of the cam 126 to draw thehalves into ever tighter engagement. As catch 42 is slid from the openposition 130, the catch 42 slides over the knob 124 on the safety latch70, causing the safety latch 70 to deflect underneath the catch 42 andpermit the catch 42 to move along the slide 120. As the catch 42 movesinto the latched position, the knob 124 is aligned with aperture 134 inthe catch 42 and the safety latch 70 rebounds, with the knob 124 poppingup into the aperture 134 to hold the catch 42 in the latched position.The knob 124 and safety latch 70 will lock the catch 42 in the latchedposition until an operator depresses the knob 124 out of the aperture,allowing the catch 42 to then be slid to the unlatched position. It isvery unlikely the knob 124 will be depressed inadvertently as it liesbelow the level of the upturned ends 136 of the catch 42, as seen inFIG. 3. Also, the main latches 34 and 36 do not have elements that popup or pivot outwardly as they become unlatched, avoiding the possibilityof these elements being sheared off or otherwise damaged as the carrieris used.

As is well understood, the main latch 34 or 36 can be moved from alatched position, where the catch 42 tightly engages the cam 126 to holdthe carrier 10 in the closed position, to an unlatched position,permitting the catch 42 to be disengaged from the cam 126 to allow thecarrier 10 to be opened. As can be seen, the halves 12 and 14 can bemirror images of each other, with one end of each half having a cam 126and the other end mounting base 38, allowing a single mold to be used tomake both halves.

Preferably, the first and second halves 12 and 14, base 38, catch 42 andsafety latch 70 are molded and formed of polycarbonate, ABS, nylon, sucha PA66 or PA6 nylon, or any suitable engineered plastic. Alternatively,the base 38, catch 42 and safety latch 70 can be formed of a flexiblemetal, such as steel.

Another advantage of the carrier 10 is the wear bands 80. Wear bands 80reduce damage to the carrier as the carrier is driven through thepneumatic tubes and also provides a seal between the carrier and theinner walls of the tubes to reduce air leakage past the carrier thatwould reduce the driving force of the pressurized air behind thecarrier. As can be appreciated, these wear bands are subject toconsiderable abuse and require frequent replacement.

Wear bands 80 are designed to simplify and shorten the replacementprocess. A channel 82 is secured at each end of halves 12 and 14.Channel 82 includes upturned edges 84 as seen in FIG. 4. The wear bands80 are formed of a flexible contact material 86 and a backing 88 havingedges 90. The contact material 86 can be carpeting or fabric material asused in a Velcro system. The backing 88 is sufficiently rigid to be slidinto a channel 82 from one end of the channel 82, until the backing 88completely fills the channel 82, with the edges 90 of the backing 88engaging the edges 84 of the channel. The channel 82 can be separatefrom the halves 12 and 14 and attached to the halves by any suitabletechnique, such a gluing, riveting, etc. or the channel 82 can beactually molded into the halves 12 and 14 and thus be integraltherewith.

The hinge elements 16 and 18 prevent the backing 88 from entering orexiting the channel 82 from the hinge side of the halves 12 and 14 sothat the wear bands 80 can only be removed or installed from the otherside of the halves. When the carrier 10 is in the closed position, thewear bands 80 on the mating halves also move into mating relationship,preventing the wear bands 80 from sliding out of the channels 82 duringuse. When a wear band 80 must be replaced, it is necessary only to openthe carrier and slide the wear band 80 to be replaced from its channel82. The new wear band 80 is installed by simply sliding the new band 80into the channel 82.

The carrier 10 is made easier to grasp and manipulate by formingrecesses 92 at each end of the carrier. Seven are shown at each end inthe Figures. Also, ribs 94 can be formed at the ends of the carrier andslots 96 on the sides of the carrier to allow the carrier 10 to be morereadily grasped.

The carrier 10 can be color coded to facilitate use. For example, ifcarriers 10 are used in a hospital, carriers used in the emergency roomcan be red, carriers used in the X-ray department can be green, carriersused in billing can be blue, carriers used in the maternity ward can bepurple, etc. With color coding, it will be immediately apparent wherethe carrier is coming from or going to.

Another advantage of the carrier 10 is the use of an anti-microbialmaterial, such as anti-microbial plastics, to form the first and secondhalves 12 and 14. Anti-microbial plastics can be formed by molding intothe plastic particles of glass containing anti-microbial metal ions suchas silver (Ag). Such treated glass is sold by Ishizuka Glass Co., Ltd.of Nagoya, Japan. An anti-microbial material can be used in any style ofcarrier, such as a carrier that is not leak resistant. For example,anti-microbial material can be used in all hospital and bank carrierproducts.

While the main latches 34 and 36 are described above in use with acarrier 10, the latches can be used in many other applications. Forexample, main latches 34 and 36 can be used as the latches on a suitcaseor briefcase. Both suitcases and briefcases are often subject to abuse,particularly if placed in the cargo hold of an aircraft. Also, materialscarried in such cases, for example important business documents in abriefcase, may be so sensitive and valuable as to justify the addedsecurity in using main latches 34 and 36 to prevent an unintentionalopening of the case. Other uses of latches 34 and 36 can be on equipmentcases, ballot boxes, drawers, etc.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated inthe accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detaileddescription, it will be understood that the invention is not limited tothe embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,modifications and substitutions of parts and elements without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A carrier for carrying an object within an interior of the carrier,the carrier comprising: a first half having a first hinge element; asecond half having a second hinge element; the first and second hingeelements mating to form a hinge to permit the first and second halves tomove between an open position and a closed position; at least one mainlatch movable between a latched position and an unlatched position tohold the first and second halves in a closed position in the latchedposition of said at least one main latch, said main latch including astationary portion secured to the first half, said stationary portiondefining a guide, a movable portion mounted to the stationary portionfor linear sliding motion between a first limit and a second limit, anda cam mounted to the second half, the movable portion engaging the camto move the first and second halves into the closed position as themovable portion is moved toward the first limit.
 2. A carrier of claim1, further comprising a safety latch to hold the main latch in thelatched position.
 3. A carrier of claim 2 wherein the safety latch isformed integrally with the stationary portion.
 4. A carrier of claim 2,wherein said safety latch is formed with a knob to engage the movableportion when the movable portion is in the latched position, the safetylatch sufficiently flexible so that contact with the knob permitsdeflection of the safety latch away from the movable portion to permitthe movable portion to be moved to the unlatched position.
 5. A carrierof claim 4 wherein the movable portion has an opening therethrough, theknob of the safety latch entering the opening in the latched position,the knob of the safety latch engaging the movable portion in the latchedposition.
 6. A carrier of claim 5 wherein the safety latch is formed ofa resilient material.
 7. The carrier of claim 1 wherein the stationaryportion forms a base, the at least one main latch further comprising asafety latch mounted to the base and having a flexible portion and aknob, the movable portion having an opening therethrough, the knob ofthe safety latch passing through the opening in the movable portion whenthe latch is in the latched position.
 8. A carrier of claim 7 whereinthe base and safety latch are integral.
 9. A carrier of claim 7 whereinthe safety latch is formed of metal or an engineering plastic and thehalves are formed of anti-microbial material.
 10. The carrier of claim 7wherein the safety latch is sufficiently flexible so that contact withthe knob permits deflection of the safety latch away from the movableportion to permit the movable portion to be moved to the unlatchedposition.
 11. The carrier of claim 7 wherein safety latch iscantilevered from the base with the base having an opening surroundingthree sides of the safety latch with one side integral with the base.12. The carrier of claim 7 wherein the movable portion has upturned endsextending above the level of the knob passing through the opening in themovable portion to avoid inadvertent opening of the latch.
 13. Thecarrier of claim 7 wherein a second latch having a base, cam and movableportion is mounted on the carrier, the base of the second latch beingmounted on the second half and the cam of the second latch being mountedon the first half permitting the halves to be mirror images.
 14. Thecarrier of claim 7 wherein a plurality of threaded inserts are embeddedin the first half, a screw threaded into each of said threaded insertsto secure the base to the first half.
 15. A carrier for carrying anobject within an interior of the carrier, the carrier comprising: afirst half; a second half; the first and second halves mating to permitthe halves to move between an open position and a closed position; andat least one main latch moveable between a latched position and anunlatched position to hold the first and second halves in the closedposition in the latched position of the at least one main latch, said atleast one main latch including: a base mounted to the second half, thebase defining a guide; a cam mounted to the first half and having acamming surface; a movable portion mounted to the base for slidingmovement between a first limit and a second limit, the movable portionengaging the cam to move the first and second halves into the closedposition as the movable portion is moved towards the first limit intothe latched position; a safety latch to hold the main latch in thelatched position.
 16. The carrier of claim 15 wherein the safety latchis formed integrally with the base.
 17. The carrier of claim 15 whereinthe safety latch is formed with a knob to engage the movable portionwhen the movable portion is in the latched position, the safety latchsufficiently flexible so that contact with the knob permits deflectionof the safety latch away from the movable portion to permit the movableportion to be moved to the unlatched position.